


Roses are Red (But Ships Are Better)

by Illusinia



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Valentines Day Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-15 12:13:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1304491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illusinia/pseuds/Illusinia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone is leaving corny Valentines-related objects around the plane for Skye, but who? Includes popcorn for Coulson, mild Berserker rage for Ward, and poor Fitz is stuck in the middle of it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Chapter 2 is a bonus scene I cut from the original piece.

"Ward, I need some advice."

  
  


The specialist didn't react as he continued to pummel the hanging bag in front of him with the same even rhythm he'd been operating with for the past half an hour. He never even glanced at Fitz as the younger man came around to stand behind the bag.

  
  


"What," punch, "do you," double punch, "need," left jab, "Fitz?" A right jab and an upper cut finished the series of hits. The bag swung heavily with the last strike, making Fitz jump backwards.

  
  


The Scotsman straightened a bit, trying not to look like he'd just been surprised by a punching bag. "Uh, you're good with women, ya?"

  
  


Well, that wasn't a good opener. "I do alright. Why?"

  
  


Looking around like a suddenly twitchy rabbit, Fitz dropped his voice further. "I need help." His eyes were wide and nervous, head twitching as he scanned the space.

  
  


Ward stood silently, waiting for Fitz to continue but when the man didn't speak again, just looked at him hopefully, the older agent took the initiative. "You've said that but haven't told me with what."

  
  


"Right," muttered Fitz, his eyes dancing around again nervously before he grabbed Ward's arm and tried to drag him towards where the cars were parked. Wondering what had gotten into the engineer, Ward followed silently, though he snatched his arm away with a glare. Agreeing to come along didn't mean allowing Fitz to pull him around like a damn dog.

  
  


When they reached the vehicles, Fitz was quick to dive into the back of the short bus, motioning for Ward to follow, which he did wearily. He'd had nightmares about people tying to lure him into dark vans before.

  
  


Shutting the door par Fitz's frantic gestures, Ward turned his attention fully on the engineer in front of him. "Alright Fitz, what is going on? This is weird, even for you."

  
  


Sighing, Fitz flopped back into one of the surveillance chairs with an unhappy look. "I don't know what to do for Valentines day! I need a plan to prove I want more with Jemma."

  
  


Ward nearly groaned. That's what this cloak and dagger stuff was about? A stupid card holiday? He'd at least thought there was actual trouble involved, like Fitz had found evidence Skye was planning to cover Coulson's office in duct tape or something at least quasi-serious. Okay, that wasn't really serious but he'd been expecting aliens or AIM. Maybe Ian Quinn. But nothing like this; now at least the woman comment made sense though. Wait, 'want more'? "Aren't you and Simmons already together?"

  
  


The way Fitz blushed and cleared his throat said no, they definitely weren't. Huh, Ward could have sworn they were and just chose to hide it. They always acted like it at least. Come to think of it, he never had seen them really do anything romantic.

  
  


"So just tell her what you told me," suggested Ward. This whole conversation was just uncomfortable. Seriously, why did Fitz come to him? It wasn't like he dated. Well, was dating anyone right now. May and him hadn't exactly been dating. More like stress relief.

  
  


“I can't just _tell_ her,” argued Fitz unhappily. The way the engineer was shaking slightly implied he'd be pacing if the space they were in were large enough to allow something so simple. “I need to do something that will show her.”

  
  


“Fitz,” cut in Ward, one of his eyebrows twitching slightly. This was ridiculous. He's not some kind of dating expert here. Even Coulson had said his social skills were less than stellar. Hill apparently thought he was a porcupine. “Have you tried just telling her?”

  
  


Fitz shifted a little awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, no, but isn't showing it always better?”

  
  


“Not really, no,” countered Ward, folding his arms in front of his chest. “It's complicated and unnecessary. You need to just tell her. And if you don't want to do that, go ask Skye. She'll probably be able to give you some ridiculous plan to show Jemma you care.”

  
  


Nodding sadly, Fitz shifted a little uncomfortably and his eyes twitched towards the lab. “But Skye will tell Jemma.”

  
  


Sighing heavily, Ward shook his head and reached for the door to the short bus. “Look, I agree that Skye is a loud-mouth with almost no control over what she says, but she'll keep it a secret if she really wants to.”

  
  


“But-” started Fitz, trying to stop Ward's exit. Ward just ignored the engineer and climbed out of the short bus, heading towards the stairs. He's not a damn dating advice column; this isn't his thing. Ignoring the sound of Fitz scrambling around behind him and the pleading whisper-shouts for Ward to come back, the agent headed towards the lounge upstairs and a much needed shower. He's said his two cents: now Fitz is on his own.

  
  


\------------------------------------------

 

-A few days later-

 

 

'Have a _love_ ly day'

 

Skye blinked at the corny Valentine she'd found. What was going on? It was the second she'd found that day and it was neither signed nor addressed.

 

At first, she suspected Coulson was leaving them for May (corny was practically that man's signature). However, May would probably shoot him. Even Coulson couldn't get away with some things. Besides, May seemed like the red painted glock bouquet kind, not that roses and corny Valentines kind.

 

Ward was excluded too; there was no way a robot like him could or would do this. May was out for the same reason.

 

That left Fitz and Simmons. It had occurred to Skye initially that the Valentines were from Fitz to Simmons (those two were way too transparent), but the second one she'd found was crammed in her laptop. No one would put a Valentine there that wasn't for her. Which left her wondering who and why. Staring at the corny words scribbled on the paper heart, she wracked her brain for any clue for who could have left the Valentine in her computer (she was going to hurt whoever it was; no one touched her baby but her).

 

“What is that?”

 

May's voice startled Skye from her thoughts, causing the younger woman to jump. Jerking around to face the pilot, Skye covered her heart dramatically with a hand, pretending to breathe heavy. “Jeez May, way to give a woman a heart attack. You and Ward are freaking ninjas!”

 

The eyebrow raise May shot Skye had the hacker huffing a bit as she resettled into the couch. “What?”

 

May nodded towards Skye's hand. “What is that?”

 

“Huh?” Skye glanced at the card for a moment before holding it out for May's examination. “It's a Valentines card I found in my computer. I'm trying to figure out why it was there.”

 

“Someone gave it to you,” stated May simply, giving Skye a look that said the girl was dense. The pilot had been putting actual effort into getting to know the young hacker recently, mostly at Coulson's prompting.

 

Skye couldn't help rolling her eyes a bit. “Well, yeah, but who? And why give it to me?”

 

Examining the card, May let out a bit of an exasperated sigh, more a breath than anything, and handed the card back. “I wouldn't ask. Just go with it.”

 

Skye snorted a bit, taking back the card. “Please, I never just 'go with it'.”

 

Shaking her head silently, May turned to head further into the plane. Skye just ignored the older woman and refocused on her task. She was gonna figure this out. Hacktavist Skye would reveal the truth!

 

\---------------------------

 

Walking into Coulson's office, May casually dropped into the chair across from where the older agent was sitting. “Why are you leaving Skye corny Valentines?”

 

“Because someone needs to show they care,” countered Coulson without looking up.

 

“Did you have to be so corny?” countered May. “It made me sick.”

 

Coulson gave her a look of fake affront. “It wasn't that bad.”  
  


“Yes, Phil, it was,” countered May, a smirk drawing over her lips. “Sticking it in her laptop made it worse. Skye nearly broke Fitz's wrist when she caught him messing with her precious computer last month.”

 

The look of affront disappeared suddenly, Coulson's brow furrowing. “I didn't hide anything in her computer. I can barely work half the equipment on this plane; nothing could make me touch Skye's laptop.”

 

May's own brow furrowed into an exact duplicate of Coulson's. “What do you mean?”

 

“I hid mine in her favorite coffee mug in the kitchen,” explained Coulson. “What did the card in her computer say?”

 

“'Have a _love_ ly day',” quoted May uneasily, watching Coulson with interest.

 

Her boss just shook his head. “That wasn't mine. Mine said: 'Sorry for the paper card. I couldn't find an envelope big enough for a digital one. Happy Valentines day'.”

 

“That's so much worse, Phil,” remarked May, shaking her head in exasperation.

 

Shrugging a bit, Coulson hit a few buttons on his computer to bring up the security tapes. “It's better than the 'love' pun. When do you think Skye got the card?”

 

“Sometime this morning,” replied May, standing swiftly as she moved around the desk to stand behind Coulson.

  
  


Clicking a few keys, Coulson rewound the security video on his screen, stopping with the time stamp for the living room read 4:30. He then hit play and set the video to run at 3x the normal run speed. They watched as Ward quickly wondered by the camera, May did tai chi, and Skye came stumbling through looking like a zombie. It wasn't until her second trip through, this time with her computer in hand, that Coulson slowed down the recording. “Alright, there's her computer.”

  
  


“Right,” muttered May as they watched Skye sit down with her precious laptop and do something on it as she inhaled a cup of coffee. They accelerated the tape a bit when Ward came in and collected Skye for training, watching the camera carefully. For a long time, the computer sat unmanned and untouched. Then Fitz appeared on the screen, looking so guilty it was almost comical. He had something tucked behind his back and his eyes kept darting around frantically. Then, he spun towards Skye's computer and did something out of the sight of the camera. When he walked away a moment later, the computer looked untouched. However, a quick fast forward revealed no one else touched the computer before Skye came back and opened it, only to find the bad Valentine tucked inside.

  
  


“Well, I wasn't expecting that,” stated Coulson, leaning back in his chair. “I always assumed Fitz had a thing for Simmons.”

  
  


“You aren't supposed to pair off your agents, Coulson,” stated May bluntly, shooting him a sideways glance.

  
  


Coulson cocked his eyebrow at her in disbelief. “You can't tell me you didn't think the same thing. I call bullshit.”

  
  


May shrugged a bit, though the hint of a smile that tugged at her lips said otherwise. “I never said that, I just said you weren't supposed to pair off your agents.”

  
  


Shaking his head and dropping the matter, Coulson checked the time stamp and pulled up another camera's footage, rewinding it to the same time as the one on the lounge footage. A few seconds after it began running, they watched Fitz hurry by it and into the stairwell leading to the cargo bay. Coulson pulled up another video feed, this one of the labs and cargo bay, and they watched as Fitz nearly bolted into the labs where Simmons was standing. The two leaned over excitedly, like they were sharing a secret, and began moving quickly around, the energy levels equivalent to the levels they exuded when working on a mission.

  
  


Fitz pulled a bouquet of flowers from somewhere, the red petals bright against the sterile white of the lab. They watched as the scientist lay the flowers down on the lab table, then suddenly turned and offered one of the blossoms to Simmons. She laughed gently and accepted it, then they watched as she leaned up and quickly kissed Fitz on the lips. It was like something out of a bad romance movie. Fitz's grin was as big as his blush, even as he leaned over suddenly and kissed Simmons again. This kiss lasted longer, and was a lot more intense than the first one.

  
  


Coulson sent May a look, eyebrow raised. “Well, I wasn't expecting that.”

  
  


The tilt of May's lips said she was. Then again, knowing May, she'd actually seen the two scientists in a compromising position and they never knew it. She was just that good. “What do you think they're up to?”

  
  


“I have no clue,” admitted Coulson, smiling a bit. “But I know we need popcorn for this.”

  
  


“Popcorn?” repeated May, shaking her head a bit. There was a smile firmly in place though by now, amusement clearly written in her features. She didn't wait for Coulson to respond either, just straightened up and stepped around his desk. “Microwave or fresh?”

  
  


“Fresh,” replied Coulson, giving her a look that said the answer was obvious even as he stood and headed for the small cabinet along the left wall of the room. Kneeling down, he extracted a popcorn maker from the inside contents and set it on the cabinet top. “It's Valentines day and there's the potential for amusing chaos. Fresh popcorn is a must.”

  
  


“You're a child,” muttered May, shaking her head a bit and leaning on his desk.

  
  


One of Coulson's eyebrows rose in that calm 'so?' look he was so good at. “Does that mean you're not going to watch with me?”

  
  


“Hardly,” dismissed May, shaking her head. “I'm not missing this. Make your popcorn so we can go back to figuring this out.”

  
  


\--------------------------

  
  


Fitz double checked the hallway as he headed towards the personal bunks for the team, his head twisting constantly as he searched for any sign of another person. This was perhaps the trickiest part of their little plan: he needed to sneak the six red roses into Skye's bunk without getting caught. The idea was to leave six in one place, then drop the other six (minus the one he'd given Simmons) around the plane with notes for Skye to find. It was simple enough and should prove more than effective. If these little tricks didn't bring Skye and Ward together, nothing would. Or at least that's how Fitz felt.

  
  


Slipping along the hallway, the engineer was relieved to find the space empty. That would make this quick and painless. If he was caught, well, it would be hard to explain why he was sneaking into Skye's bunk. Especially with a handful and a finger of red roses.

  
  


Coming up on Skye's bunk, Fitz did one last, precursory check before sliding open the door and stepping inside. It was a quick mission: drop the red roses where Skye would find them along with the note and get out before he could be caught. With shaking hands he lay the red roses carefully on Skye's pillow, propping the note over the stems quickly. He even made it back to the door and managed to get the door shut. Success!

  
  


Unfortunately, when Fitz turned around, he wasn't alone anymore. The twitching specialist standing in front of him ended any sense of accomplishment or hope he'd come out of Skye's bunk feeling. In fact, the way Ward was looking at him made Fitz wonder if he was about to be in serious trouble. “Ward! Hey buddy, I didn't see you there.”

  
  


“You weren't supposed to see me,” stated Ward, his eyes narrowed in Fitz's direction. “What are you doing in Skye's bunk.”

  
  


“What?” sputtered Fitz with faux surprise. He tried to look innocent; being caught by Ward was the worst case scenario. Anyone else, and Fitz could just tell them the truth. Ward? The truth was absolutely out of the question. And the anger Ward was radiating indicated that the truth might not actually permeate anyway. “Skye's bunk? No, no. I wasn't in Skye's bunk. I was in Jemma's.”

  
  


“Simmons' bunk is at the other end of the hallway,” countered Ward, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the young engineer. “What were you doing in Skye's bunk?”

  
  


“Nothing!” repeated Fitz, paling in the face of the angry agent. Frantically, he began backing down the hallway and away from Skye's door. Maybe he could get a head start? Was it even possible for him to outrun Ward? “I wasn't doing a thing! Nope, nothing at all. Just standing in the hallway waiting for Jemma!”

  
  


For a moment, it looked like Fitz's words might have rung true to Ward. Then he reached out and pulled open the door to Skye's bunk, which was now conveniently accessible that Fitz wasn't standing in front of it. Bugger. And right there, for everyone to see, were the flowers Fitz had left for Skye. The ones that are supposed to be from 'Ward'. Too bad the real Ward looks less than amused. He eyed the flowers like they might bite him.

  
  


Then, before Fitz knew it, he was against the wall, Ward's hands in his shirt keeping him pinned there. The scowl on the specialist's face almost looked like a growl and there's an anger in his eyes that frightens Fitz in a way he didn't think was possible. “Leave. Skye. Alone.”

  
  


“Leave her alone?” repeated Fitz, his brow furrowing despite the very angry man currently holding him against the wall. “What do you mean-”

  
  


“Stop trying to seduce her,” growled Ward, his eyes narrowing. “Skye's mine, Fitz. I've wanted her for too long and done too many stupid things to just let her go. And before you deny it, remember that you just left _flowers_ in her bunk and I know you're the one who left that corny Valentine in her laptop.”

  
  


For a moment, Fitz was shocked silent. Why was Ward acting like this? The man's normal response was denial. That was why they put this bloody plan into motion in the first place! It was supposed to be a wake-up call to Skye so _she'd_ take the initiative and ask out Ward.

  
  


Then the pieces began to fall into place and he relaxed under Ward's stare. Ward was jealous; that was the problem. He'd apparently come to terms with things at least partially on his own, and now he thought Fitz was trying to steal Skye. That was why he'd pinned Fitz to the wall. It almost made Fitz groan; apparently, Simmon's original plan would have worked but Fitz's concerns about being punched were spot on! Too bad he was still probably going to be punched unless he could calm the agent in front of him down.

  
  


Fortunately, Ward had nothing to worry about from Fitz so, by extension, neither did Fitz. At least in theory. Taking a breath, Fitz tried to force himself to calm down and speak to Ward, man to man. Or, well, engineer to specialist. “Have you told her yet, Ward?”

  
  


“That's none of your business,” muttered Ward, releasing Fitz and stepping back. Apparently, being call on his bs was enough of a shock for Ward to at least try and bring himself under control. He pouted a bit too, though it was that kind of look that didn't look like a pout but was clearly a pout all the same. It was actually a little pathetic, but then again, so were the sappy looks the specialist tended to give his rookie. “Just, stop trying to steal her.”

  
  


“Ward, I wasn't trying to steal her,” stated Fitz firmly, going for the truth. Getting out of here unscathed meant letting Ward in on his and Simmon's little plan. He'd rather be punched for interfering than for trying to steal Skye away from Ward. At least then he wouldn't be punched under false pretenses. “Skye is nothing compared to my Jemma. At least, to me, she's not. I'm sure you have a very different view.”

  
  


“Damn right,” growled Ward, the pout still present. It was worsened when Ward crossed his arms over his chest, even though he was still holding his head high. “So what's with the gifts and crappy Valentines then? I know one was from Coulson but it was signed.”

  
  


“We were trying to help you out, Ward,” explained Fitz calmly. “We wanted to make Skye think you were trying to pursue her so she'd ask you out or confront you. Something. Anything to help bring you two to your senses.”

  
  


Ward's eyes slipped to the still-open door of Skye's bunk, eying the roses suspiciously. “Really?”

  
  


“Go check,” encouraged Fitz. “The cards are unsigned and the rest of it is so generic it could be picked up anywhere.”

  
  


Again, Ward's eyes swung back to Fitz. Except this time, there was an apology in his eyes. “Sorry Fitz, I should have controlled that better.”

  
  


“It's all good mate,” assured Fitz calmly. “I can't say I wouldn't have done the same if you were going after my Jemma. Well,” he paused taking in Ward's superior skill and training, “something similar maybe.”

  
  


Ward raised an eyebrow at Fitz but didn't argue. There wasn't exactly a point and who knew what the Scot would do if someone tried to take his scientist from him. “Right. So,” Ward glanced again at the roses and note, “you want to take those for Simmons or let me throw them out?”

  
  


“Why don't you leave them?” suggested Fitz, frowning slightly. “I mean, rewrite the note, but use the flowers.”

  
  


“Nah,” dismissed Ward, smiling faintly as he moved to the game cabinet in the hallway instead. Extracting battleship, he nodded towards the flowers again. “Go give those to Simmons. I have my own plan.”

  
  


\-----------------------

  
  


Stepping back into the lounge, Ward held up the battleship boards with a smirk. “You ready to play, rookie?”

  
  


“Took you long enough, Robot,” countered Skye with her own smirk, reaching for the game board Ward offered her. Settling into one of the chairs, she flipped open the board as she spoke. “Trying to delay your inevitable lose....” Her words trailed off as she stared at the board in front of her. There, across the vertical panel, were the words 'be mine' spelled out in plastic pegs. Below that, on the horizontal panel, was her name spelled out with the ships. Glancing up at Ward, Skye could see the way his leg was jittering a little, eyes searching her face for any sign of what she's thinking.

  
  


“Well?” Ward's question brought her back to reality and helped strip away any uncertainty she was feeling.

  
  


Looking back at the message, Skye felt a smile pulling at her lips. “I'm already yours, Ward. You know that.”

  
  


“Yeah, well, I guess I just wanted to make sure, you know?” admitted Ward, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

  
  


“Is this about that weird Valentine earlier?” A slightly guilty look from Ward confirmed her suspicions. Leaning forward, one of her hands reached across the table to take his free one, squeezing his fingers slightly as she offered him a grin. “I'm yours, Ward. And hopefully, you're mine!”

  
  


“I am,” assured Ward, his voice quiet and uncertain as he stared at their overlaid hands. “I told you that this morning, when we woke up together.”

  
  


“Yeah, but it's still nice to hear it in person,” stated Skye softly, offering him a grin. “And that note? It wasn't real. I did my digging and Fitz needs to learn how to hide from the security cameras better.” One of Ward's eyebrows rose in surprise, but Skye just shrugged. “Someone touched my baby and I wanted to find out who so I'd know who's hand to break.” Offering Ward a reassuring smile, she stared at their crossed hands, examining the look of her small one over his huge one. “I think we should tell Fitz and Simmons that we're dating already. This cheesy Valentines stuff was just a bad plan.”

  
  


“I wouldn't worry about it,” muttered Ward, his face coloring slightly as he fiddled with her fingers.

  
  


One of Skye's eyebrows rose in surprise as she leaned towards Ward over the table. “Grant, what did you do?”

  
  


Ward's eye twitched a little, his fingers entwining with hers. “Nothing too bad....”

  
  


“Grant...” murmured Skye, giving him a warning look he knew too well.

  
  


“I might have told Fitz to back off when I caught him putting flowers in your room,” admitted Ward uneasily. “And I might have jumped to the wrong conclusions....”

  
  


Skye groaned a bit, covering her eyes. There was a pained tone in her voice when she spoke. “Please tell me you didn't punch him.”

  
  


“I didn't punch him,” assured Ward, shifting a bit and interweaving their fingers. “But I might have slammed him into a wall.”

  
  


“Grant!” exclaimed Skye, uncovering her eyes enough to glare at her boyfriend. “Did you hurt him?”

  
  


“No!” stated Ward quickly. “He was just a little scared...” The faint blush Ward had been sporting before bloomed more.

  
  


And suddenly, it clicked for Skye. “You went berserker rage on him, didn't you?”

  
  


“Not full!” assured Ward. “Um, maybe just a little bit?”

  
  


Groaning, Skye buried her face in her free hand. “I am simultaneously turned on, horrified, and touched.”

  
  


“Touched?” repeated Ward curiously, reaching out with his free hand to pull Skye's hand down from her face.

  
  


Without a second thought, her fingers intertwined themselves with his. “Yeah, touched. The fact that the thought of Fitz trying to date me sent you into a mild version of the berserker rage is sweet. It shows you care.”

  
  


Ward shifted a bit uncomfortably and the faint red blush that had been on his face earlier bloomed into something brighter. “You know I care, Skye.”

  
  


“Yeah, but I still like to hear it,” reminded Skye, squeezing his fingers a little. Smirking, she lifted her hand off is and pointed at the boards, leaving their fingers intertwined. “Now, are we gonna play? 'Cause if we're not, there's other stuff I'd like to be doing.”

  
  


“Such as?” asked Ward, one of his eyebrow rising.

  
  


The smirk that crossed her lips was absolutely filthy. “I wouldn't mind practicing some of those pins you were showing me the other day. Just, you know, in my bunk instead of the gym.”

  
  


Ward blinked at Skye for a moment, then glanced down at the game in front of them and back up at Skye. The fact that he didn't immediately scoop her up and carry her away was surprising, probably more so than it should be.

  
  


“You seriously need to think about this?” asked Skye, eyebrow cocking in disbelief. “You know I'm talking about sex, right?”  
  
“I know,” confirmed Ward, looking back at the game, his blush growing more. “I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to get both.”

  
  


Chuckling, Skye leaned on the table and grinned at her SO. “What, like strip battleship?”

  
  


Ward seemed to perk up at that, then groaned. “No, because then I'll never be able to look at this game the same again.”

  
  


“Perfect,” laughed Skye, standing and closing her board with the message carefully kept in tact. One of her hands extended to Ward, who took it and pushed himself up at the same time. “Grab your board, Ward, I'm about to kick your ass, sexy style”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this scene originally went between Fitz and Ward's talk and when Skye finds the corny Valentine.

\------------------------------------------------

Bonus Scene:

\-------------------------------------

  
  


“Well?” asked Jemma excitedly, nearly bouncing as Fitz re-entered the lab. “What did he say? Did he agree to help?”

  
  


“No,” sighed Fitz in frustration. “He left me in the back of the short bus with only the comment of: 'just tell her' to work with.”

  
  


Jemma visibly deflated some at the news, feeling her spirits deflate. “Well, that's less helpful than I'd been hoping.”

  
  


“It's completely useless,” stated Fitz, pacing angrily in the lab. “How are we supposed to set him up with Skye if he won't even say how he'd do it?”

  
  


Simmons hummed a little as she considered their options. Personally, she'd been vying for Fitz to pretend to be interested in Skye in order to force Ward's hand but the engineer had been too afraid of being punched by the specialist to try it. She had to agree that it was possible, but wasn't it worth it if Ward and Skye finally dealt with their interpersonal tensions? Apparently, Fitz had disagreed.

  
  


“So what do we do now?” wondered Fitz aloud as he leaned on the table in the middle of their lab. “We still need to find some way to get Ward to ask out Skye.”

  
  


“Or Skye to ask out Ward,” pointed out Simmons with a sigh. What they needed was a plan. Simmons had considered a whole list of options for how they could make it look like Ward was trying to pursue Skye, but nothing had sounded like the agent. Roses on Skye's pillow, digital e-cards, none of it had screamed 'this is Agent Ward'. And now that Ward was refusing to help, they were running out of options.

  
  


“I've got it!” shouted Fitz suddenly, jumping up from his seat as one of his fingers shot into the air.

  
  


Simmons just blinked at her partner slowly for a moment, like she couldn't decide if he was certifiable or just excited. “You've got what?”

  
  


“An idea,” explained Fitz. The engineer was nearly bouncing in excitement. “Bad puns!”

  
  


“Bad puns?” repeated Simmons uncertainly. “What are you talking about?”

  
  


“We can do bad pun valentines,” elaborated Fitz excitedly. “We can write Valentines with bad puns on them and hide them in places Skye will find them!”

  
  


Simmons blinked at Fitz like she couldn't quite understand what was going through her partner's head. “Explain your logic, Fitz.”

  
  


“Alright, Ward's social skills are limited,” stated Fitz. “We all know about the poop in his file.”

  
  


“I believe it's actually a porcupine,” corrected Simmons uncertainly. The raised eyebrow of 'really?' that Fitz sent her caused her to flush a bit. “But yes, Agent Ward's social skills are wanting.”

  
  


“Right,” continued Fitz. “So, Ward's limited social skills are going to help us here.” Dropping his voice excitedly, the genius engineer continued quickly. “We're going to write bad Valentines and leave them around for Skye to find!”

  
  


The look of worried confusion that passed over Simmons' face clearly marked her uncertainty. “How will badly written Valentines help?”

  
  


“Because they'll look like _Ward's_ doing,” explained Fitz. “There's no way we could pass off a well-composed Valentine as Ward, but if it looks like he's trying to mimic normal romantic gestures, it'll be believable!”  
  
  


“Oh, I see!” exclaimed Simmons, her eyes lighting up. This idea just might work. All they really had to do was make Skye think Ward was trying to confess his feelings. She would step in and do the rest from there. “Oh, this is going to be fun!”

  
  


“Yes,” agreed Fitz, though he frowned a bit, locking eyes with Simmons. “Jem, we're sure he likes her, right?”

  
  


“You've seen the way he looks at her, Fitz,” confirmed Simmons with a look. “And Ward is so emotionally constipated, he makes Agent May look like a friendly fish hawker!”

  
  


For a moment, Fitz just blinked at Simmons in confusion. Then her words sunk in and he began laughing so hard he nearly fell over. “Oh, bloody hell, Jem! Now I've got an image of Agent May hawking fish stuck in my head!”

  
  


“She's wearing a shirt, I hope,” challenged Simmons, her eyes narrowing even as a smile and giggle overcame her. Glancing at Fitz, who glanced right back, the two broke into fits of laughter that nearly sent them to the floor. For a few minutes, all the genius' could do was laugh before they finally managed to calm down.

  
  


“Alright, alright,” gasped Simmons, straightening up between rapidly drawn breaths. “We have work to do!”

  
  


“Agreed,” chuckled Fitz. “Operation: Skyeward is underway!”

  
  


“Skyeward?” repeated Simmons with a raised eyebrow and look of complete exasperation.

  
  


“Skyeward,” confirmed Fitz, nodding his head like it was the most logical thing in the world. “You know, Skye plus Ward. Skyeward.”

  
  


Groaning a bit, Simmons just shook her head and grabbed a random physical notebook she had laying around. They couldn't do this by computer because there was always the chance Skye would find it either later or before they completed their plan. “Well, at least we know who will be writing the bad puns.”

  
  


“What?” asked Fitz, confusion falling over his face and leaving him looking like a lost puppy. One of his hands rose to scratch his head a bit in confusion. “What did I say?”

  
  



End file.
